I just want to talk to people about my mental health struggles throughout my life and how I’ve overcome each and everyone of these hurdles and how I could be inspiration to others. Through the power of open and honest communication and never giving up on oneself I’ll be honored to talk about my struggles but also my hope that I can give people that are struggling today day with things that they cannot control in the midst of the coronavirus

Sometimes the trauma we experience is not definable in terms of scientific research or assessments. Sometimes depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues are never actually diagnosed but somehow those of us who experience these issues deal with them on a daily basis and find inspiration and hope in our communities and inside ourselves.  

I, like many others, have experienced multiple traumas in my life including rape, abandonment, intimate partner violence, a diagnosis of a “terminal” disease, homelessness, and drug addiction.  Yet, somehow, I have made it through these experiences and found help along the way.  Not from the system of care (as many of us know, the system of care is not really designed to “care”), I found help in the support and love from others who have also experienced similar things.  It is their courage and compassion that gave me the strength to keep moving forward.  It is their determination and insight that helped me work through the pain and fear.  

I am forever grateful for those who guided me along the way.  Your support will never be forgotten.  Your support helped me to not only find a new way to live but to follow my passion and help others.  Even though I have been dragged through the mud, I know my worth and value has not changed.  Today, I am working on a PhD. and hope that the work I do, the community bridges from research and academia to the real world I build, can help inspire others.  May you find love and peace in your hearts

A MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY CREED

I am a child of God.

I am defined by who God says I am, not by my diagnosis.

I will seek to live my true purpose through relationship, dependence and trust in the Lord.

I will choose to care for myself to the best of my ability so I can be used for the greater good.

I will honestly open up my heart to others about my struggle and not allow fear of judgment or ridicule to keep me isolated.

I will choose to risk rejection, knowing the truth of my story builds confidence and hope in others who may be suffering in silence.

I will not be ashamed of my life, thinking I need to do more for acceptance.

I can remain still, knowing God is working all things together for His good and for His glory.

This emotional and physical pain is only temporary, I will choose to live now for eternity.

Hello everyone, my name is Christian O’neal Coleman I developed a passion for work in the helping professions about 5 years ago. Good mental health is key for overall functioning in life and life would simply be hard to live without a healthy mind. I know. If you or a loved one has a mental illness, I’ve been there. I had a low point in my life; a low point I never thought I would rebound from. However, I bounced back and from then on, I decided to embark on both a personal and professional journey to help people who have to take mental illness with them throughout their life journey. In conclusion, I want to let everyone know that happens to be reading this that if you have a mental illness of any kind, you may think you are alone BUT you are not! There is help out there, tons of resources for you. Also, if you are someone who knows someone who may be experiencing a mental illness in their life, you may not always know what to do for that person but always remember this: a pat on the back, a hug or any other cordial act of reassurance is often times more than enough to put a smile on someone’s face.

Please know and always remember that YOU ARE NOT ALONE :-)

Thanks for reading everyone and please be well!

Hello, I have always thought that sharing my story with the mental health community is important to bring hope to others that are just like me.

I’m a 37 year old divorced mother of two boys. I have been in therapy of some kind or another since I was 7 years old. Mental illness runs in my family as well as substance abuse addiction. I believe I was born with my many disorders that progressed and worsened as I got older, abused illegal drugs, prescribed medication and had my children. In my early childhood I showed all the many signs of OCD. I also grew up in an extremely chaotic family where my mother suffered terribly with her own mental illness that was never acknowledged or treated and an emotionally absent father. My two older siblings coped with this by using and abusing drugs and my older sister was put into rehab when I was seven. My older brother simply moved away and is still an addict today covering up his own mental health issues. My younger sister was extremely emotionally disturbed and would act out violently towards my parents but especially towards me. She would later become a drug addict for many years and thankfully entered recovery 4 ½ years ago.

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I wrote this poem and read it at my college at mctc on october 20th.. when Nami came and talked for our mental health awareness day. Along with abby miller, OTR/L…it was a wonderful experience for me as a student and a one who deals with anxiety, depression 

My mental health is always a 100%. I’m use to that, but others around aren’t.  During school one day, I was told that you should treat mental health problems like any other weakness, but how is that fair??  Mental health is NOT a weakness. At 14 years old I told my mum that I wanted to die, and by the age of 15 I had already tried to kill myself four times. By 16 I was cutting, but now at the age of 21, I’m stronger than I was. I’m not going to say that I know longer feel like killing myself because I sometimes feel like everyone would be better off with out me, but I’m not longer ashamed of who I am. I let nobody bring me down. I am me and I don’t hide away from who I am. I wear my scars as a trophy of what I have over come. I am strong, I am proud, I am beautiful, I am me. 

Hello.  We all can live a great, purposeful life managing Bipolar Condition or any mental health situations. 

The social stigma of mental illness used to bother me to no end…and contribute to my problems!  I’m over that now, but I prefer to call it Bipolar Condition vs. “Disorder”.  I also prefer to discuss Mental Health vs. “Illness”.

My story in general: 

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